Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Best toy stores in the Hague (Den Haag)

{Taska INI MINI Kids shop}

Raise your hand if you feel like you're constantly buying toys for kids birthday parties, new baby or a plethora of other special occasions that require constant trips to the toy store. I know that I do. Between my 7 yr old, 6 yr old and 2 yr old, I sometimes feel like I have a toy store in my own house. This being the case, I really enjoy nice, durable items of good quality, especially if I'm going to be tripping over them all of the time.

When arriving in the Hague, I kept despairing that there were "no good toy stores here". It's not true! There are quite a few lovely, high-quality stores right here in Den Haag where you can get toys and objects that make lovely gifts and that won't make your house look full of junk "made in China".

2. De Kikkerkoning Aert Van der Goesstraat 482582 AL, Den HaagThis is really my "go-to" place for kids gifts of all ages. There is usually something for everyone, lots of nice European brands of good quality and best of all, they're just nice people in there.

3. Kaatje aan de ReinFrederik Hendriklaan 632582 BT Den HaagA great shop for gifts in general, but with a super little kids corner. They have a fantastic Christmas shop over the holidays and lots of little trinkets, games and fun things for the smalls.

4. De Maan is RondFranklinstraat 95 (hoek Weimarstraat)Den HaagI'm not sure if I love this shop more for myself or for the kids. But it's a treasure trove of beads, baubles, DIY kits, vintage-style toys and everything you need to make a great jewellery party.

5. SpelenderwijsStevinstraat 1182587ER Den HaagTucked away on a quiet street in Scheveningen, it truly feels like you are entering Ali Baba's cave when you step inside this store. It has an impressive and fun selection of all kinds of toys for kids of all ages - mostly from reputable brands and lots of wooden items. The only problem is the elderly woman who owns the store is seriously unpleasant to deal with and it's turned me off on more than one occasion. But if you can grin and bear the bad vibes in a good shop, it's worth a visit!

6. Inimini TaskaPrins Hendrickstraat 98 + 1042518HW Den HaagThe original Tas-Ka store has always been one of my favorite places since arriving in the Hague. The selection never seems to vary much, but the store has a simple, clean refreshing feel to it with a nice blend of Dutch and scandinavian minimalist items. Last summer they came out with Tas-Ka "INI MINI" which is their kids lifestyle annex and is very much along the same lines as their flagship store. It's just nice to see a different and original selection of kids stuff, such as fun quirky stuffed animals from Donna Wilson, wooden toys from HAY and sleeping bags from French textile brand LAB.

7. Achtung BabyPrins Henrikstraat 972518HM, Den haagThis is actually a consignment shop for kids clothing but it seems to have branched out in recent times to also selling kids toys and objects. The focus is on vintage, homemade, handmade and refurbished, which I like. In this day in age, it's all too easy to just throw things out and buy again. I like the idea of a shop that reuses and recycles - good principles to live by even for kid's toys!

8. MonsterjesPrins Willemstraat 26a,Den HaagAnother winner in the Scheveningen area, this is a good one to stop by after a trips to the International Health Center as it's a stone's throw away. I particularly like their selection of little party favors and the lady running is shop is also particularly nice. Always a plus in Holland!

Beeklaan 303 2562AH Den HaagThe toy shop that looks like it's housed in an old book store and with its red & white bakfiets often stationed outside. Not the trendiest spot with the newest selection of toys, but they have some oldies and goodies.

10. Pro Special WinkelHerengracht 38Den HaagA good one if you're in the city center and HEMA just isn't cutting it. Mostly wooden toys and with a nice online selection too.

These are my favorite shops when I'm looking for something that's special, original and overall high-quality. For the rest of the times, there's always good old Bart Smit or Intertoys for the classic LEGO or Playmobil gifts. And I'll have to save my long, long list of online toy shops for a separate post.

5 comments:

I found your blog while I was browsing the internet for Toy stores. Anyway, I find myself recalling nostalgic memories of wooden toys from my childhood. One of my favorite toys is the wooden rocking horse which I am having a hard time looking for to give to my 4 year old girl.

Hi Scarlet, I love the wooden rocking horse too! It's hard to find good stuff these days that is well made. I'm not sure where you are located, but I found these two wooden rocking horses that you might like and depending on your budget. From Offi: http://www.smallable.com/en/ride-ons-and-push-toys/2333/offi-rocking-horse.html and also from Kidkraft: http://www.amazon.com/KidKraft-Derby-Rocking-Horse-Honey/dp/B0006IRU40. They're both sort of modernized versions of the classic rocking horse, but pretty cute, I thought. Good luck finding one you like for your daughter!

Hia, and thanks for a useful blogpost! On occation, you should check out the toyshop De Monstertjes on Prins Willemstraat between Statenkvartier and Scheveningen. Lots of beautiful, fun and original toys, wooden and other nice materials, very little plastic :)

HOI! I'm Elisa. I'm an American living in the Hague, Netherlands with my French husband, 3 girls and 1 cat. This is where I share some of my favorite discoveries about Dutch life, my adopted city Den Haag and being an expat with kids. I hope that you'll enjoy some of my tips! For more info or to repost, please get in touch!